How safe is cruising right now?

I’ve sailed on 6 cruises in the past 6 months, and I will shout from the rooftops how much safer cruising is right now, than perhaps even going to the grocery store.  Actually, I will vouch for that also, because I’m almost sure I’ve probably gone to the grocery store less than 6 times in the past 6 months because health safety–thank you delivery services!  Here’s my top reasons on why sailing on a cruise ship is safer than any other mode of travel right now:

 

1. You must be vaccinated AND test negative to cruise.

Every major cruise line requires you to show proof of vaccination and either test prior to boarding or test at boarding to prove negative status before entering the ship.  No airline, hotel, restaurant, or theme park is doing either of these things, unless of course you’re boarding an international flight for a country that requires one or both of these things.  Masks are also either required to wear or highly encouraged.

 

2.  Ships are sailing at partial capacity.

Of the six cruises I’ve sailed on, the ships have run from 18%-70% full.  The one that was 70% capacity did slightly concern me, but again, I’ve tested negative, thankfully, for each test I’ve had done.  The airlines were blocking out middle seats, but that’s no longer the case.  And while some planes aren’t flying at full capacity, that’s not because the airlines have made the conscious decision to not sell all the seats, where the cruise lines are being proactive to not sell out the ships.

 

3.  There is hand sanitizer everywhere!

This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to avid cruisers, but what will come as a surprise are the additional areas they are now located.  Additionally, the crew have increased how often they sanitize and clean around the ship.

 

4.  There are a plethora of open spaces to get fresh air.

Hint, hint, if you’re not sailing in at least a balcony cabin, you’re doing yourself a huge disservice.  It also boggles my mind when people talk about all the germs congregated on ships, when there are so many openings to get fresh air, especially on certain classes on ships also.

 

5.  The media’s scary headlines aren’t telling you the full truth.

To expect a ship to not have any amount of cases onboard with such an infective variant is just not plausible.  The virus is everywhere, regardless of all the blocks the cruise lines do have in place.  The point however is, the cruise lines have them in place, so it very unlikely (not impossible), to catch it on a ship.  The amount of cases that have recently been found on ships is less than 1% of the ship population (combo of guests and crew), compared to about 20% positive in Miami, FL alone.

 

I could go on and on, but no need to make this an extensive article either 🙂  Regardless of your decision to sail or not to sail right now, I do hope that you make your decision based on personal health choices, as well as the full data of the actual situation, and not catchy soundbites you hear on the media.  As always, I’m here to sift through any noise you may find, and will do so with full transparency.

 

If you have any specific questions and you have booked travel with me, please do not hesitate to send me an email at rita@ritaventures.net.

 

Not yet booked?  Let’s get started here!